[Eng] "Hardkor 44": Warsaw Uprising in "Terminator" style.

On 15th July it was announced, by the Platige Image studios, that a motion picture, based on Warsaw Uprising (commissioned by the Warsaw Uprising Museum) is planned to be made.

The Uprising was a subject of many polish movies, including "Kanał", awarded by Special Jury Prize in Cannes, but this movie will be made with a new twist: Home Army1 soldiers will go to fight on screen in steampunkish scenery, and their main foe will be experimental Waffen-SS cyborg force, led by Oberfuehrer Oskar Wanger.

As is said in press release, "movie will be made with the same technology, as "300" or "Sin City". The living actors will perform in it, but world will be created by CGI". The movie is scheduled for release in 2012.

The intention of the filmmakers is to create a mythological story, not the historically accurate one, that is intended for domestic and worldwide audience, using universally recognized language of comic books and video games, that "would conquer the viewers' imagination and encourage them for doing own historical research" (as said Jakub Jabłoński, art director).

Tomasz Bagiński, author of award winning short 3D animated movies, "The Chatedral" and "Fallen Art", will be in charge as director. He had said that:

"During recent years, I had developed a different approach for filming and telling the mayor events from history of Poland, than traditional one. Especially Warsaw Uprising. This idea could gain focus not only from the domestic viewer, but also could 'defend' itself before worldwide audience. This is Polish D-Day, Dresden bombing and Pearl Harbor all in in one. A fantastic movie story, that could seduce viewers from all over the world."

But there are some sound objections. I concur with Przemysław Mandela, that this topic needs special caution; the story itself is not placed in "galaxy far far away", but its based on real events, whose participants are still living today. There is also a risk, that the final product will not be successful on international market. Polish filmmakers had little experience in making good genre movies, especially those ones requiring advanced FX and specific storytelling (take infamous "The Hexer", as an example of a big flop) - I hope that Mr. Bagiński and his team are aware of those limitations.

In order to understand the increased interest in Uprsing, it must be kept in mind, that for many years after 1989, the topic of Warsaw Uprising was not always treated with proper respect. Even in one occasion president Kwaśniewski (a post-communist) didn't attend the memorial celebration because "the number of anniversary wasn't round" (as said his spokeswoman), and ordinary Warsaw citizens didn't stopped traffic during the memorial sirens on 17:00 hour at the 1st August2. In the meantime liberals from influential "Gazeta Wyborcza" newspaper were criticizing and denouncing memory of Uprising, as "irrational" and "polonocentric" act. Foreign correspondents added insult to the injury, by frequently confusing Warsaw Uprising with Uprising in Warsaw Ghetto. Museum of Warsaw Uprising was planned since 1981 but for various strange reasons, this project had been delayed year after year.

Situation changed in 2001, when Lech Kaczyński, now president of Poland, then mayor of Warsaw, had committed himself for finishing it. Founding of the Warsaw Uprising Museum was the mayor step in changing attitude towards history in Polish society, just a year before conservative breakthrough in 2005. Today even punk music bands are singing old songs about Uprising in their own way, and there is an increased interest in historical events (not only related to the World War 2) in younger generation.

In summary history in Poland is no longer perceived as something, that we should be ashamed for. During the period People's Republic of Poland World War 2 were a subject a handful of entertaining movies and TV-series, but all of them were tainted by official Communist Party' vision of history and dated. Hence I wish that creators of the "Hardkor 44" will succeed in creating appropriate mythology for our history.

http://hardkor44.pl/
http://www.platige.com/
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/071009-hardkor-44-a-ww-ii.html
How Uprising memory had been recovered
http://niepoprawni.pl/blog/710/powstanczy-hardkor

All images are © Platige Image

1. Armia Krajowa, Polish resistance loyal to the Polish Government on Exile in London

2. The date of the beginning of Uprising